It's always great when Turkuaz comes around. Although they play Upstate New York frequently, each time is something special and different. This time around the group decided to play the Anthology in Rochester, NY. The event sold out the previous day, and tickets were not available at the door. It was shortly before the opening band came on that the Anthology began to get packed with music lovers.
Perhaps because it was close to New Years Eve or just another Turkuaz show, but the crowd was filled with unusual and weird clothing decor of all different kinds. From a girl with glowing fur coats and a unicorn head to Christmas lights, it soon appeared to be like one giant party near the front of the stage. Around 930 opening group and youtube sensation Too Many Zoos came on stage.
Surprisingly, the crowd seemed to be more into Too Many Zooz than Turkuaz themselves. As soon as as Leo P began playing his Saxophone the crowd turned into a dance craze and it continued to the very end of the three member band set. The group proved they weren't just a youtube sensation and are actually incredible musicians, with enough jazz and funk beats to indeed warm everyone up for Turkuaz.
At around 11pm Turkuaz themselves came on stage. Always dressed professional, the group opened up with a few of their new songs from their new album. The new songs were a a dominant force in the set for Saturday night, but Turkuaz still managed to give the crowd some lovable favorites. Turkuaz filled up the stage with a dominating presence that continued for the rest of the night.
Turkuaz is one of those bands that you can still go to a show, not know any of their songs, and still have a fantastic time. The musicians in the group are all incredible in their own ways. Each put their own grooves into their music. It's a show you almost have to dance to, and the middle aged crowd certainly obliged. As the set continued, the crowd began to get more warmed up to the show and by the fifth song nearly everyone up front was dancing to the beats of Turkuaz.
Another fantastic thing about Turkuaz is their light show. It goes together perfectly with the music and last Saturday night the group seemed to be electrified with the lighting, which is always a great thing. The sound sounded loud and crisp, however often times you weren't able to hear the vocals from the two front ladies simply because they were drowned out by the other members of the band. It would have been nice to hear their vocals more, which is why the show itself wasn't perfect, but it was pretty great nonetheless.
Despite the microphones being off, Shira Elias and Sammi Garett were both on fire this weekend in Rochester. Another highlight of the night was guitarist Craig Brodhead, who did a wonderful guitar solo near the end of the show that wowed the crowd. Nearly two hours after they came on stage at 11, the band finally said their goodbyes after an energetic and great performance.
It was a day before New Years Eve, but that didn't stop the Anthology from becoming packed. It was a fantastic way to end things in 2018 and a sign that there's plenty more great live music to come in 2019. Turkuaz show at the Anthology was fantastic and worth going to for those lucky enough to be at the sold out event.
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All Photos by Justin Gorelick:
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